By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
To put an extra touch on senior night, Nixa punctuated each goal with a fireworks display.
Midway through the second half, the explosive Lady Eagles’ attack had nearly exhausted the supply.
Eight players scored for the Lady Eagles amid a 9-0 victory over Willard on Thursday night. Senior Erica Hartley led the way with two goals and one assist. `
“It was awesome and super fun seeing the fireworks when we scored,” said Nixa senior Madisyn Pritchett, who recently returned from a knee injury. “It was a good way for the seniors, potentially, to end our soccer careers at home. Hopefully we’ll get to play another game here though.”
Nixa (14-5 overall, 9-0 league) repeats as Central Ozark Conference champions.
The Lady Eagles have won nine straight matches dating back to an April 17 win at Ozark. They’ve recorded eight shutouts in that span.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“We’ve played well, all year, and just to have it come together here at the end is really nice,” said Nixa coach Evan Palmer.
Nixa put the game away quickly. Hartley’s first goal jump-started the Lady Eagles, who led 4-0 by halftime.
“We kept possession and got the goals we needed,” Palmer said. “Getting that first (goal) was key.”
Playing its reserves for much of the second half, Nixa added five more goals.
Nixa has now won seven COC titles dating back to the 2010 season. Ozark won the league in 2010, 2016 and 2017.
A rash of season-ending injuries recently hit the Lady Eagles – including one to starting center forward Katie Kamies.
Nixa, however, received a boost with the return of Pritchett, who missed the first half of the season while recovering from knee surgery in the fall.
“It’s been hard,” Pritchett said of her comeback. “I feel like the team has been doing really, really well and starting to get the hang of it without me. When we had another forward (Kamies) get injured, I felt like (the team) sort of needed me then. Right now, I feel like I came back at a good point of the season.”
Said Palmer: “We’ve played (Pritchett) here and there, just to get her strength back and everything else. She does a great job for us. It was good to see her get that goal.”
Willard finishes the regular season 13-9 overall. The Lady Tigers face Parkview in the Class 3 District 11 tournament semifinals May 14 at Parkview.
Nixa turns its sights to a stacked Class 4 District 10 field that includes Kickapoo and Ozark, arguably the three best teams in the area.
Nixa faces Ozark in the semifinals at 7 p.m. May 14 in Branson. The Lady Eagles beat Ozark 3-0 in the regular season.
“They’re a very good team,” Palmer said. “It’ll be a tall task for us.”
Nixa 9, Willard 0
Willard 0 0 — 0
Nixa 4 5 — 9
First half
Nixa – Erica Hartley (Liz Davis assist)
Nixa – Bailey Reynolds
Nixa – Lizzy Shaw (Hartley assist)
Nixa – Kaya Cocanougher
Second half
Nixa – Madisyn Pritchett
Nixa – Lexie Rasmussen (Reynolds assist)
Nixa – Hartley (Karlie Hoskins assist)
Nixa – Ellie Osborne (Abby Harrison assist)
Nixa – Hoskins (Kelsi Moore assist)
